Texas Books

I worked in the Lower Pecos region with a group of students last summer, and had the honor of meeting Carolyn Boyd. She took time to give our students personal guided tours of the cave paintings, and they were enthralled. She is a gifted communicator, and passionate about her work. These same qualities come through in her book.

The first time she saw these paintings, she was an artist with no experience in archaeology. Her art background allowed her to see what others had missed; the myriad elements were part of a single canvas, composed by a single artist, invested with purpose and meaning. At that moment she held insights the 'experts' lacked, but she did not have the credibility or credentials to convince anyone. Rather than giving up, she went back to school and got her PhD in Anthropology, writing her Doctoral Dissertation on this cave art. She is now recognized as the world's formost expert on these paintings.

Rock Art Of The Lower Pecos by Carolyn E. Boyd (Executive Director of the archaeological research and educational nonprofit Shumla School) offers an expert and in-depth analysis of the rock art created four thousand years ago in what is now southwest Texas and northern Mexico. New interpretations and hypothesis concerning these mysterious yet evocative images left behind by hunter-gatherers of millennia ago fill the pages of this fascinating guide, which packed from cover to cover with the latest up-to-date findings, as well as an anthropological wealth of insightful ideas from a wide variety of experts and schools of thought concerning the uses of the art and the intentions of the ancient artists. Black-and-white as well as full color illustrations embellish this thoughtful and strongly recommended study.

Carolyn Boyd has done an outstanding job with Rock Art of the Lower Pecos! This excellent literary work clearly explains the rock art through extensive ethnographic research and analysis. Her contribution of this book is a landmark acheivment in the field of anthropology. I highly recommend this work to anyone with an interest in historic art or culture.

This author takes research on rock art and makes it concise and understandable for all of us who are interested in rock art in the Americas. But more than that, she takes us to the next level and gives us a basis for understanding WHY the images were produced in the first place and what function they served for the culture. This is must reading for anyone who wants to understand these images and who wants to go to the next level in understanding rock art world wide.

Ehringer covers all aspects of horse barn design and construction, from planning your acreage to hanging a halter. This book is filled with photos and easy-to-understand plans and details. If you're planning to keep horses, you need this book.

Ehringer covers all aspects of horse barn design and construction, from planning your acreage to hanging a halter. This book is filled with photos and easy-to-understand plans and details. If you're planning to keep horses, you need this book.

A great book!! A must buy for anyone thinking of having a horse facility! Has plenty of photos, plans, and offers pros and cons to building materials!

Mr. Ehringer's fine book helped me build the horse facility of my dreams in southeastern Wyoming. It exhaustively covered virtually every topic I needed to learn about. Three cheers for Gavin Ehringer and his fine work!

Salt Warriors is both a work of scholarship and a terrific read, one of those rare history books that is willing to consider the past on its own terms while reevaluating it in the light of the present. The best book on Old West history published so far this year.

The Salt War is one of those subjects that we have often heard without understanding its significance. Cool gives us an opportunity to catch up in a hurry. This book should appeal not merely to lovers of Old West history but to those who want to understand how it connects to the politics of our own time.

I have just finished reading Paul Cool's first book, Salt Warriors. The story of the Salt War in El Paso in 1877 is a complex saga of politics, greed and personal conflicts and Cool has done a wonderful job detailing the events and the combatants. He has exhausted every possible source in the search for new and expanded details on the conflict. In doing so, he has managed to deliver a very balanced account of the trouble. In particular, the author has used his outlaw/lawman research experience to help provide greater detail on all the participants. The result is a triumph of research and writing, that stands above previous works on the subject. Cool's ability to unlock background details of the key players allows for a greater appreciation of the motives of both sides and thereby engages the reader in the events. Salt Warriors is a great read and a truly important historical work, written by a gifted author and indefatigable researcher. Congratulations Paul Cool. The book was long overdue but worth the wait.

Although not as resonant in American borderland history as the Alamo or San Jacinto, the El Paso Salt War left a lasting imprint in Anglo-Hispanic relations, especially in western Texas and New Mexico. With this first full-length study of the Paseño insurrection in El Paso and environs, borderlands historian Paul Cool has advanced both our knowledge of history and our understanding of the roots of present-day borderland issues. Cool, with prodigious research and use of a myriad of untapped primary source material, has shed new light on this 1877 insurgency that saw murderous clashes between Mexican-Americans, known as Paseños, and newly arrived Anglo-Americans.

Hispanic settlers had apparently been communally utilizing and selling nearby salt deposits as a cash crop for generations. With the coming of Anglos and a differing concept of resource ownership, a culture clash and an ensuing clash of arms was inevitable. Paseños thought the 1848 Treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo guaranteed their unfettered access to the salt even as the region was ceded by Mexico to the U.S., but the Anglo-dominated Texas legislature had other notions. Mix in the personal tragedy of putative manager of the salt lakes and provocateur of Paseños, Charles H. Howard, his angst explained by Cool's insightful analysis of his humiliation and his southern notions of honor and gratitude, and the triumph of violence over diplomacy was unavoidable. And triumph it did, for three deadly months.

Neither institutions nor individuals come off particularly well- the Texas Rangers, the U. S. Army, local law officers, the main protagonists or antagonists- although the author probes the motives and depths of each and makes it all compelling. Most on the Anglo side are incompetent or craven to one degree or another, several are plain cowardly. Others, notably a Silver City contingent of hardcases masquerading as a peace force, led by Dan Tucker and John Kinney and including killer Jim McDaniels, are worse, functioning as little more than a gang of robbers, rapists and murderers. An especially valuable section for the reader's closure is a follow-up on the key participants in the Salt War drama, tracing their later, post-insurrection, years, often with poignancy.

This overdue study is beautifully written, and is a significant achievement in the scholarship of southwestern history.

The best book about the war over the salt flats just west of the Guadalupe Mountains in West Texas.

I've read all of Ms. Hingle's Desires and they are constantly getting better and better. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Secret Agent Dad. I started and finished teh book within one day. Blake and Josie are wonderful characters. Ms. Hingle brings them together in a very clever way and, as always, the sexual tension is amazing. Ms. Hingle excels with sexual tension. I loved the twins--Miranda and Edward. There was a little twist at the end of the book that I found a little surprising and very pleasing. This book is part of a five book series, the Texas Cattleman's Club, with each of the five books written by a different author. I read probably 5 to 6 romance books during an average week. I would highly recomment Secret Agent Dad. It is a book that definitely puts a smile on your face and leaves you feeling good. Try it, you'll like it!!

What a great read! This is the first book in this series of 5 that I have read, but I will read the others! Can't wait to find out what happens to the other members of the Cattleman's Club. Sure hope the other authors are as talented as Metsy Hingle. I read this in one sitting, couldn't put it down.

I loved every second while I read this book. Josie is a woman down on her luck and alone. She is not glamorous or outstanding, just a woman who takes life day by day and wishes for her dreams to come true. They do when she meets the extremely sexy Blake Hunt. This book kept me so interested I looked for every book by the author I could find. Take the time and read this book. It is worth it!

Royal twins Miranda (sugar britches) and Edward have lost their mother. Now they are in danger of being political pawns, and their aunt wants them brought to safety. That's where the Texas Cattleman's Club comes in. It's a club of five wealthy bachelors who set out to rescue a princess, and in the process each find true love. In book four of the series, author Metsy Hingle leads us through a royal rescue and a new romance between Blake Hunt and the widowed Josie. Blake, who has former Cobra training, is assigned to enter the palace and rescue the twins right out their cribs. Next he is to deliver them to the aunt in Royal, Texas. Naturally, when so much is at stake, what ever can go wrong -- does. While transporting the babies, Blake finds himself driving through the worse storm Texas has ever had, and he has already decided babies and bachelors do not mix. Widow Josie, who Blake renames, takes him and the babies in once she discovers them. There is instant chemistry; physical attraction is no doubt mutual, but Cupid can't seem to get the deeply hidden romance off the ground until both partakers' pasts are cleared up. Do they both have that kind of patience? And will both be accepting of each other's past lives once Blake's amnesia is cured?

What a great quick read. The mixing of intrigue and romance has always been a plus for me in category romances. I liked the way Ms. Hingle handled the replay of the royal rescue as Blake relived it. Written in italics, the scenes carry a presence of danger and intrigue; I found myself whispering the scenes in my mind. The story is well written; the characters are likable and true to form as far as I'm concerned and the plot is very good.

The Texas Cattleman Club series titles are: Texas Millionaire by Dixie Browning, Cinderella's Tycoon by Caroline Cross and Billionaire Bridegroom by Peggy Moreland. Secret Agent Dad by Metsy Hingle is the forth in the series and Lone Star Prince by Cindy Gerard, which was out in December of '99, was the last title in the five part series. They are all available at Amazon.com, and I heartily recommend them to any romance, but especially category romance readers.

Kudos to the author for writing this book - very few books written specifically about Honduras. Honduras has much more national park than Costa Rica (who does a GREAT job marketing that they're a "natural" country) but gets very little attention. Anyone who's hiked Sierra de Agalta or camped in La Muralla knows what a breathtaking country Honduras is. Kudos for writing this book.

(From Planeta.com) -- Kudos to author Mark Bonta and to Texas A&M Press for publishing Seven Names for the Bellbird, one of the best books of the year. Few books document the challenges and merits of including locals in conservation. Bonta, a university professor and former member of the U.S. Peace Corps provides a frank account of biodiversity conservation and birding in of the most mountainous regions of the Americas. The beautifully written narrative is complimented by maps and photos. Excellent!

I too was a Peace Corps volunteer (99-01) working in Sierra de Agalta National Park and its surrounding communities. Mark's book wonderfully captures the "ornithophilia" of Olanchanos, and puts together a stong case for conservation at local scales that build upon existing needs and environmental concerns. A must have for all conservationists working in Honduras or anywhere else for that matter.

Seven Names for the Bellbird goes beyond typical discussions of environmental problems in Latin America to show how real people and real birds interact in their shared landscapes. The wealth of details in Bonta's discussion makes a significant contribution to the study of human-animal interactions. Easily accessible and yet provocative, Bonta shows how conservation activities need to be based on local practices and control of resources--a lesson not just for environmentalists working in developing countries, but good advice for people working to protect their own neighborhoods.

As a student of Rangeland Ecology at Texas A&M University, I have used this book extensively to identify numerous plants for my classes, as well as my own collection. This book is very precise and the line drawings on each plant are invaluable. It is well worth the price for this plant "Bible."

I am a botanist and have a collection of many books on floras. I am currently working on a flora of Northeast Alabama and using the Flora of Texas (1999) as the standard to follow.

I'm a botanist/naturalist, and a botanical collector from North Central Texas. I find the Illustrated Flora of NC Texas invaluable to anyone who wants to learn about plants of their region and their ecosystems, plant communities, etc. The book has an excellent introduction, over 70 pages along, to introduce you to nomenclature, toxic and exotic plants, endangered and threatened plants, geology, climate, etc. It also includes excellent information on some of the history of Texas botanists. It is a must for any naturalist or botanist, and a bargain for a book with over 1600 pages!

In a concise word, this book is awesome. Truly an outstanding example of definition, beauty and detail. As a native plant garden designer and botanical collector in North Central Texas I have found this book invaluable. Not only for the professional but easily understood and used by the layman, this is the botanical 'Bible' of NC Texas and sets a precedent for all others to follow. This inspirational guide of botanical brilliance is an absolute must read.

I read this along with Mr. Casson's "The Ancient Mariners"; it was an excellent accompaniment to that volume, which is lacking the abundant illustrations that are included in this book. Along with providing a complete, unbroken (as we know it) timeline of the evolution of shipping and development of ancient men-of-war such as the Trireme, Quinquereme, sixes, sevens, etc. the greater gift of this book as I see it is it will teach people how to look at the art. With every single example in this book are numerous references to fine detail that the artists included which are picked out and described by Mr. Casson. One of the first things I learned in Art History was that the living conditions contemporary to a society are ALWAYS reflected in the art, which is why there are so many sculptures and mosaics referenced here. Another unexpected thrill from this book was the absolutely fabulous color plates included, depicting among other things some of the finest photography I have ever seen of the Greek red figure/black figure vases. All the photos, with very few exceptions, are top notch. Absolutely one of the most enjoyable books I have found in quite some time.

I checked out this book from the library, and am enjoying it so much that I'm buying a copy. If you love practical, how-it-was-done histories, you'll really like this book. The chapter on triremes is my favorite so far, partly because of the description of these amazing ships, and partly because of the accounts of deeply stupid naval blunders on the part of the greeks. Best of all, there are tons of pictures, including reconstructions of several ancient ships. Neat book! Buy it!

This book is essencial to everyone interested in ships. Also every reader interested in history, from casual to scholar will find in it a valuable resource to understand the origin and evolution of seafaring until the end of the middle ages. It fills a huge gap sadly existing in every history book.

In this captivating account of travel by sea, the author provides the origins of the boat, the vessel, the trireme and the supergalley. He writes about the importance of this means of communication and travel in the ancient civilizations of Egypt and Mesopotamia. Widely illustrated in black and white, the book includes a short bibliography albeit with very useful titles. Recommended for its wealth of information.

When I read the first chapter of this book at a half price bookstore I had to have it. This book is so real, it's unbelievable. It's the story of a woman (Bobby) discovering herself through relationships (with women). It's the kind of book that can make you lost when you are done because you don't know what to do without those characters in your life!

*My favorite chapter was Fishlips, *Favorite use of an uncommon word "invegle" *Favorite lesbian rescue (you'll have to read it) *Favorite bathtub scene *Favorite lesbian novelist....Georgia ..........Don't miss this book! Lots o luv-Jonny

This is an old novel, first in print in 1987. Which would make it one of the first of a new genre, lesbian romance fiction. After almost twenty years, it stands the test of time, and is still one of the very best written in this category.
Tired of reading the same plot, again and again? The standard is girl meets girl, falls or tries to resist falling in love, discovers obstacles both very real and those also somewhat whimsical, eventually overcoming and getting the girl of her dreams in the end, with just the right blend of romance, sensuality, and sex to keep the pages turning. Settings in unusual locales help stir interest. Interesting occupations and professions and character traits pique curiosity.
Basically, a love story is a love story. This book is unique in many respects. First, the writing is exceptionally fine. Next, there is more humor here than one would expect. Point of view is first person, as the protagonist looks back fondly, sometimes painfully, and tells her own love story.
I'll say it again: very fine writing, great good humor, and this novel stands up to the passage of time. It reads like an old, dear friend.

I carried this book around in my purse for weeks after I finished it simply because I could not let it go. I think I have read it cover to cover at least 3 times and every single time I would sit there nodding up and down at certain parts. I mean Ms. Cotrell gets it EXACTLY right. The first chapter held me fast and never let me go.

Davenport doesn't just talk the talk of a therapist discussing the grief process.... she walks the walk, and her readers walk with her, side by side. Whether dealing with the terminal diagnosis or decline of an aging parent, coping with a loss, or just anticipating the inevitable, Davenport's journey is one we will all take. However, for many of us, while we may feel deeply, we are unable to put words to the feelings, at least not with such accuracy, poignancy and honesty. The sibling interplay, the need of the adult child to be special, the power of emotional resistence... it is all here. At times lyrical, at others stark, the author manages to share her journey on several levels.... intellectual, psychological and pragmatic. This is a book that I read when facing the impending death of my father from Alzheimers as I began the process of home hospice. I gave my copy to my sister-in-law to read after her mother died. She read it in a day. It is on my shelf to use with my clients (I'm a therapist too) when issues of grief arise. It is rare to find a book that is both clinical and deeply personal.

In "Singing Mother Home" we have the unusual privilege of a watching a highly qualified practitioner of two of the "helping professions," teaching and counselling, come to very personal terms with the kind of situation she teaches and counsels about. Dr Davenport's gentle telling of the story of her mother's death, and the openness with which she shares her inward struggle, serve both to humanize "the experts" and to validate the anguish of the rest of us, "non-experts" all, whose guilts and fears can be considerable as we face the necessity to allow beloved parents to take their leave.
A couple of chapters at the end of the book allow Dr Davenport to offer her professional insight into the dynamics of grief. Considered with her remarkable self-revelation in the narrative of her story, the reader's sense of her is that she is not merely a highly skilled professional but, under the circumstances, a companion of uncommon humanness along an inevitable and inexorable road, one we all must travel.
Those of us who have attended parents during their last years, months, days and hours know that there are a myriad details both of heart and body, to deal with. Dr Davenport shares with us many such in the thought and behavior of the pricipals of her story, but it is quite a tribute to her literary skill that the tale never becomes merely a chronology preoccupied with "events," whether physical and psychological, but uses them only as tools to enhance the real issue of relationship with oneself and others as death intrudes on well-ordered lives with its threat to make a mockery of human devotion.

Most people are so uncomfortable with the concept of death they spend their lives ignoring it as completely as possible. This book is a fascinating read because it does just the opposite -- and it does it in an original and intriguing way.

Written by a psychologist about the death of her own mother, Singing Mother Home tackles the subject matter from two mutually cooperative angles.

The author not only comes to terms with the permanence of death as a reality in her own very personal world, but explores it as a professional too, by giving us an up-to-the-minute look at death and loss from the perspective of modern psychological theory and applying it in her particular case.

Fortunately, the theory doesn't bog down the writing. It's a surprisingly quick read despite its elegant prose and almost immediately compelling -- who among us hasn't wondered what it would be like to lose a parent and how to cope during the process?

Alternately, if this is a situation you've already struggled with, you'll no doubt resonate to the universality of the author's trials -- with her expectations of herself at such a difficult time, with her family, with death generally.

I'd recommend it to anyone interested in any of these topics.

In reading Singing Mother Home, it quickly becomes evident that Donna Davenport has poured herself into writing this book as she shares sadness, frustration, humor, and heartwarming memories concerning her mother and the process of her mother's death. It reads very easily and is divided into subchapters so that I was able to pick it up and put it down as time allowed. I found however, that I read much more at each setting than I had originally planned. I was able to resonate with many of her memories of her mother, the feelings of the anticipatory period, and desire to keep elements of my own loved ones alive in my present life.

This book provides a very well-written account that left me feeling as though I had lived a bit of both Donna's and her mother's lives. There is a fullness to their lives and their relationship that comes across very clearly, and I believe that anyone would connect with this account and feel a sense of commonality and renewed hope.

This book was a wonderful purchase and I would recommend it for anyone who has experienced or is experiencing grief. I plan on buying one for a family member who lost her husband a few years back. I believe that readers will surely feel the sense of connection to it that I did.

It was hard to put this book down once I started it. Although the women portrayed faced a living hell all around them, the authors elicit the courage and determination each women had to continue the daily existence in the camps. And that is what is so powerful; the daily horrors which become the backdrop for extermination are also part of the reason that each was able to define for herself a path through death.

This book is novel in its approach and subject matter. Women in the Holocaust, and their triumphs, courage, and resourcefullness has been ignored before now. The stories are personal and engaging. I would put it in the top-ten must reads of Holocaust literature.

This book was a difficult endeavor, as one never wants to face the potential raw ugliness of mankind. However, the voices of these women are invaluable in helping the world to remember a time which must never be forgotten.

As a young woman (34 years old) and a mother of three (which qualifies me as a caregiver, I guess), my heart went out to these brave women, struggling to impart some small measure of kindness or at least relief of suffering to their fellow prisoners. Women and children are seemingly the most vulnerable when society engages in chaos, but the women caregivers chronicled in this book were apparently among the most intrepid of all. I believe they gathered strength from the acts of focusing on giving aid to others in the most desperate of circumstances. Anyone who is interested in what the human spirit can endure, and indeed, overcome, should read this book.

Kudos to Dr. Diane Plotkin for her thorough research into the lives of the women featured in this book. Her attention to detail helps transport us to the various camps where we experience dehumanization and deprivation. Through it all, however, it is interesting to see the various ways these women nurtured and tried to protect one another. This is a "must-read" book because it clearly illustrates the general differences in the ways men and women coped with, and adapted to, life in the concentration camps.